Monday, September 14, 2015

Please take a look at the surveillance video below and still pictures of the armed suspects who robbed the Minute Stop convenience store just before 1:00 yesterday afternoon. Three males entered the store and took an undisclosed amount of cash along with some merchandise. They were last seen running west of Marty Street. Press release from yesterday is included below.Anyone with information is asked to call the Overland Park Police Department at 913-344-8750 or the TIPS HOTLINE, 816-474-TIPS.

September 13, 2015

Armed Robbery

Overland
Park Police responded to a reported armed robbery at a convenience store in the
10300 block of Marty at 12:50pm.There
were three suspects who entered the business, two of which appeared to be armed
with firearms.

The suspects appeared to
be dark skinned males, wearing long pants, sweatshirts, hats, and their faces
were covered with cloth.The suspects
left the business on foot and were last seen running west of Marty.

Anyone
with information on this crime is asked to call the TIPS HOTLINE at
816-474-TIPS or the Overland Park Police Department at 913-344-8729.

Friday, September 11, 2015

On September 26th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Overland Park Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will provide the public with an opportunity to help prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. The service is free and anonymous, with no questions asked.

Bring your medications for disposal to one of the following locations:

8500 Antioch Rd – Overland Park Police Department

12400 Foster St – Overland Park Police Department

7000 W 75th St – Price Chopper

7418 W 119th St – Price Chopper

6900 W 135th St – Hen House

11700 W 135th St – Price Chopper

7201 W 151st St – Price Chopper

In the previous nine Take-Back events nationwide from 2010-2014 DEA, state and local partners collected 4,823,251 pounds or 2,411 tons of unwanted prescription drugs. There have been 7,393 pounds of pills taken back at Overland Park drop off locations since October 2011.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.

The DEA is in the process of approving new regulations that implement the Safe and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010, which amends the Controlled Substances Act to allow an “ultimate user” (that is, a patient or their family member or pet owner) of controlled substance medications to dispose of them by delivering them to entities authorized by the Attorney General to accept them. The Act also allows the Attorney General to authorize long term care facilities to dispose of their residents’ controlled substances in certain instances.

Thursday, September 10, 2015

The Overland Park, Kansas Police Department conducted a
Labor Day – You Drink, You Drive, You Lose - S.T.E.P. Campaign from August 20th
through September 7th. The principle focus was on DUI deterrence and detection
in an effort to reduce alcohol related accidents. Officers also
looked for speeding violations, seat restraint violations, testing violations, bicyclist
violations, and pedestrian violations.

The program is sponsored by the Kansas Department of
Transportation (KDOT), but there was more than 10,000 police departments and
law enforcement agencies across the country that participated in this year's
enforcement campaign.

It may have
been Labor Day weekend, a time when most people are taking a few days off from
work, but for the officers involved, it was yet another opportunity to make an
impact and hopefully save some lives through their efforts.

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

The Overland Park Police Department wants to make sure
things go smoothly this year as students begin to hit the sidewalks, crosswalks
and bus stops. As school begins to get back into the swing of things, officers
will be paying special attention to these areas to encourage motorists to be
cautious and on the lookout for children.

Whether you're transporting children to and from school, or
just driving through, it's always a good idea to allow extra time for getting
around on the roadways, especially during the morning and afternoon school rush
hours.

If your child walks to school, rides the bus, or travels by car,
teach your kids important safety tips to ensure they get to and from school
safely.

Always remember to buckle up your child with the proper
child restraint or safety belt while riding in a car. Wearing a seat belt is the best prevention of injury or death in a vehicle. (see guide below)

According to the 2014 Kansas observational seatbelt survey, children are much
more likely to be buckled up if the driver is wearing their seat belt. If the
driver is buckled, about 96% of the children are restrained. If the driver is
not buckled, only about 21% of the observed children were buckled. We want
adults to model good driver behavior for the children.

Drivers on the roadways of Overland Park can expect strict enforcement of the Safety Belt Use and Child Passenger Safety Acts.

Briefly, these acts require that all persons in a motor vehicle manufactured or assembled after January 1, 1968 or assembled prior to 1968 which was manufactured with safety belts carrying 10 passengers or fewer, including vans, must be buckled in. In the event that a passenger under the age of 14 is unrestrained, the driver will be cited. Where a driver or passenger aged 14 through 17, is seen to be unrestrained, that person will be cited.

Children under the age of four must be secured in an approved child safety seat; children ages four through seven who are under 80 pounds and under 4’9” tall must be securely belted into an approved booster seat; and children ages eight through 13 must be secured in a safety belt.

Please slow down and be safe, especially in school zones, eliminate the
distractions, and always buckle up.

Monday, August 3, 2015

The 32nd annual "National Night Out" (NNO), is a unique crime/drug prevention event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW), has been scheduled for this Tuesday, August 4th, 2015.

National Night Out is a nationwide program designed to get the community involved in crime prevention. Traditionally turning on your outdoor lights and coming outside to meet neighbors has been the basis for the event. In different parts of the country people are now hosting front porch vigils, block parties and parades, all in an effort to show unity against crime.

Last year's National Night Out campaign involved citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials from over 16,540 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases worldwide. In all, over 37.8 million people participated in National Night Out in 2014.

The Overland park Police Department will be celebrating National Night Out along with 11 different neighborhoods. We are also anticipating at least another 12 neighborhood participants for the 2nd NNO event this year, scheduled for October 6th.

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT is designed to:

• Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness;

• Generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime programs;

OVERLAND PARK POLICE: MAKING A DIFFERENCE

About the Overland Park PD

Police Department Mission Statement:Our first and highest priority is the safety and welfare of the citizens of Overland Park and the men and women who protect them.

Overland Park is a thriving city located in Johnson County in the southwestern portion of the Kansas City metropolitan area.With over 178,000 residents, Overland Park is the second largest city in Kansas and covers 75.5 square miles. Overland Park is accessible by four major highways (I-35, I-635, I-435, and US69), and no location in the city is more than 3.5 milesfrom a highway.

The City of Overland Park is frequently recognized with national awards and honors. In 2012, CNN Money Magazine rated Overland Park ninth of the Top 10 Best Places to Live. Overland Park was also recognized by Movoto.com as one of the Top 10 Best Mid‐Sized Cities in the US (2013) and as one of the Top 11 Cities in the US for Raising a Family (2012). In addition, the city was recognized recently by Livability.com as number 3 in their list of the Top 10 Best Cities for Kids 2014.

The Overland Park Police Department is a premier police department with high ethical standards. The city maintains one of the lowest crime rates for Overland Park’s size. The department has an annual budget of over $32.9 million, 302 full-time employees, and 18.5 part‐time/full-time equivalent employees. There are currently 250 commissioned personnel in the police department.

There are four major divisions within the police department: Patrol, Patrol Support, Support Services, and Investigations. The police department also provides special services and community programs, which include fingerprinting, seatbelt safety, reporting illegal internet activity, school resource officers, school crossing guards, school zone safety, Explorers Program, and Citizens Police Academy.